International records / OpenAlex research

Mysticism and The Social Construction of Armed Actors in South East, Nigeria

Armed actors in South-East Nigeria have become increasingly central to the region’s security landscape, ranging from vigilante groups to separatist militias and the so-called “unknown gunmen” often emerging in response to perceived state failure, and ethnic identity politics. While this study agrees with these assertions, there is limited literature on the constructivist perspective that underpins the legitimacy of local armed actors as alternative systems of protection and justice. This study therefore, examines mysticism as cognitive and symbolic systems through which communities assign legi…